GIGS: Best of 2013

Its that time of year again when we ask our intrepid team to tell us their best gigs of 2013.

This year we have also asked the team for their favourite Midlands venue, Live act and Festival…

How do they compare with your own ‘Best of 2013′? Please tell us in the comments field at the bottom of the page.

Chop 
Nile @ Rock Zombie Dudley 14/09
Dragged Into Sunlight @ Asylum 2 Birmingham 31/08
Scarab @ Bloodstock Open Air Catton Hall 08-11/08
Vista Chino @ Institute (Library) Birmingham 31/10
Onslaught @ Institute (Temple) Birmingham 10/10

Best Midlands Venue: Institute – Library
Best Live Midlands Band: Slab
Best Midlands Festival: Bloodstock

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Claire Frays
Five Finger Death Punch @ LG Arena Birmingham 05/12
Five Finger Death Punch @ Download Festival Castle Donington 14-16/06
Alter Bridge @ NIA Birmingham 17/10
DevilDriver @ Bloodstock Open Air Catton Hall 08-11/08
Avantasia @ Bloodstock Open Air Catton Hall ’08-11/08

Best Midlands Venue: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Best Live Midlands Band: Mister Nothing
Best Midlands Festival: Download Festival

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Dave Tonge
NLC/RACPA UK Festival @ The Maze Nottingham 04-05/05
Stiff Little Fingers @ Rock City Nottingham 23/03
Bowling for Soup @ Rock City Nottingham 12/10
Romeos Daughter @ Guildhall Derby 02/10
Poizon @ MFN Heanor/Ilkeston 19/01

Best Midlands Venue: Rock City, Nottingham
Best Live Midlands Band: JD and the FDCs
Best Midlands Festival: NLC/RACPA UK Festival

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Dean Pedley
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band @ Ricoh Coventry 20/06
Roger Waters @ Wembley London 14/09
Mott The Hoople @ Symphony Hall Birmingham 11/11
Rush @LG Arena Birmingham 26/05
Ugly Kid Joe @ Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton 02/11

Best Midlands Venue: Symphony Hall
Best Live Midlands Band: Twisted Species

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Ian Savage
Skid Row @ Rock City Nottingham 25/10
The Wildhearts @ Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton 07/04
Eureka Machines @ New Adelphi Kingston upon Hull 10/05
Quireboys @ Academy 2 Birmingham 09/10
Skid Row @ Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton 02/11

Best Midlands Venue: Nottingham Rock City
Best Live Midlands Band: My Great Affliction

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Jack Arkell
Pure Love @ Reading Festival Reading 25 / 08
Trash Talk @ The Star and Garter Manchester 11 / 07
Letlive @ Asylum Birmingham 05 /10
Nekrogoblikon @ Download Festival Castle Donington 15 / 06
Django Django @ O2 Academy Birmingham 16 / 2

Best Midlands Venue: Asylum, Birmingham
Best Live Midlands Band: The Catharsis
Best Midlands Festival: Download Festival

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Jason Guest 
Roger Waters – The Wall @ Wembley Arena London 14/09
Purson @  Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 16/04
Baroness @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 19/10
Grand Magus @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 28/02
Clutch @ Rock City Nottingham 09/07

Best Midlands Venue: Rock City, Nottingham
Best Live Midlands Band:  Liberty Lies
Best Midlands Festival: Bloodstock Open Air

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Julian Handley 
Queensryche @ Rock City Nottingham 17/10
Avantasia @ Bloodstock Catton Hall 08 – 10/08
Halestorm @ Rock City Nottingham 11/03
Hell @ Assembly Rooms Derby 23/02
Exodus @ Bloodstock Cat ton Hall 08 – 10/08

Best Midlands Venue: Rescue Rooms
Best Live Midlands Band: Hell
Best Midlands Festival: Bloodstock

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Krish Mistry 
Helloween @ The Forum London 16/04
Kreator @ The Forum London 28/04
Lamb Of God @ Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton 13/08
Lordi @ The Institute Birmingham 10/05
Wintersun @ The Rescue Rooms Nottingham 18/07

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Laura Patterson 
Suede @ Rock City Nottingham 28/03
Arcade Fire @ Empress Ballroom Blackpool 27/11
Then Jerico @ Rescue Rooms Nottingham 14/05
James @ O2 Academy Sheffield 16/04
Bruce Springsteen @ Ricoh Arena Coventry 20/06

Best Midlands Venue: Rock City
Best Live Midlands Band: Ferocious Dog
Best Midlands Festival: Dot to Dot

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Paul Broome 
Mudhoney + Metz @ Institute Library Birmingham 10/06
Wet Nuns + God Damn + Them Wolves @ The Victoria Birmingham 04/10
Wilko Johnson @ The Robin Wolverhampton 07/03
Lone Wolf + Post War Glamour Girls + Menace Beach @ Brudenell Social Club Leeds 19/01
John Grant @ Institute Library Birmingham 09/05

Best Midlands Venue: The Flapper
Best Live Midlands Band: Them Wolves
Best Midlands Festival: Distorted Tapes All-Dayer

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Paul Quinton
Riverside @ The Assembly Leamington 17/03
FM  The Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 16/03
Steve Hackett  Symphony Hall Birmingham 16/05
Rush @ LG Arena Birmingham 26/05
Bruce Springsteen @ Ricoh Arena Coventry 20/06

Best Midlands Venue: The Robin, Bilston
Best Live Midlands Band:  Diamond Head
Best Midlands Festival: Dames Of Darkness

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Paul Woodward
Vega @ The Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 04/07
Danny Vaughn @ The Robin Bilston 08/04
Jeff Scott Soto @ The Asylum Birmingham 05/04
FM @ The Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 16/03
SHY @ The Asylum Birmingham 19/07

Best Midlands Venue: The Robin, Bilston
Best Live Midlands Band:  Dante Fox

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Paul Castles 
Kadavar @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 24/10
Jex Thoth @ Scruffy Murphy’s Birmingham 07/11
The Wounded Kings @ Asylum2 Birmingham 24/05
Dragged Into Sunlight @ Asylum2 Birmingham 31/08
Hatebreed @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 03/05

Best Midlands Venue: The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton
Best Live Midlands Band:  Alunah
Best Midlands Festival: Fearfest

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Paul Davis 
Heaven’s Basement @ The Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 22/08
Brad @ 02 Academy 2 Birmingham 09/02
The Virginmarys @ Hare & Hounds Birmingham 05/03
The Temperance Movement @ The Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 26/06
The Darkness @ Civic Hall Wolverhampton 06/03

Best Midlands Venue: Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Best Live Midlands Band: Liberty Lies

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Peter Keevil
The Temperance Movement @ Hare & Hounds 12/05
Heaven’s Basement @ The Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 22/08
Scorpion Child + Blues Pills @ Queens Hall, Nuneaton 16/11
The Temperance Movement @ O2 Academy, Birmingham 20/11
Black Spiders @ O2 Academy, Birmingham 08/10

Best Midlands Venue: HMV Institute, Birmingham
Best Live Midlands Band: THEIA
Best Midlands Festival: Download

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Rich Ward 
Noddy Holder @ Palace Theatre Redditch 17/05
Ian Hunter @ Assembly Leamington Spa 14/06
Robert Plant @ Civic Hall Wolverhampton 02/09
Steel House Festival @ Hafod Y Dafal Farm Ebbw Vale 26-28/07
Bruce Springsteen @ Ricoh Arena Coventry 20/06

Best Midlands Venue: The Robin, Bilston
Best Live Midlands Band: Diamond Head

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Rob Stanley 
Eric Bibb @ The Robin 2 Bilston 24/10
Virgil & The Accelerators @ The Robin 2 Bilston 29/05
JJ Grey @ The Robin 2 Bilston 02/07
Royal Southern Brotherhood @ The Robin 2 Bilston 26/09
Walter Trout @ The Robin 2 Bilston 31/11

Best Midlands Venue: The Robin, Bilston
Best Live Midlands Band: Virgil and The Accelerators
Best Midlands Festival: Beermageddon

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Russ Tierney
The Wildhearts @ Wulfrun Wolverhampton 07/04
Hardcore Superstar @ Kasbah Coventry 23/11
Tonight Alive @ Institute Birmingham 01/10
Lordi @ Institute Birmingham 10/05
Nina Nesbit @ Institute Birmingham 21/10

Best Midlands Venue: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Best Midlands Festival: Lichfield Rocks

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Russ Powney
The Temperance Movement @ Hare & Hounds Birmingham 12/05
Steven Wilson @ Civic Hall Wolverhampton 17/10
Dreadzone @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 10/10
Rush @ LG Arena Birmingham 26/05
Ugly Kid Joe @ Rock City Nottingham 25/11

Best Midlands Venue: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Best Live Midlands Band: Piston

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Samantha Knight 
Liberty Lies @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 01/05
Lordi @ HMV Institute Birmingham 10/05
The Darkness @ Civic Wolverhampton 06/03
The Darkness @ Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton 02/12
Baroness @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 18/10

Best Midlands Venue: Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Best Live Midlands Band: Liberty Lies
Best Midlands Festival: Bloodstock

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Sophie Maughan
Bring Me The Horizon @ Academy Birmingham 02/11
Slipknot @ Download Festival Castle Donington 14/06
Rammstein @ Download Festival Castle Donington 16/06
Lamb Of God @ Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton 13/08
Soundgarden @ Academy Birmingham 14/09

Birmingham Academy  Awake By Design  Bloodstock Festival

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Tony Gaskin 
Clutch @ Rock City Nottingham 09/07
Evil Scarecrow @ Bloodstock Open Air Catton Hall 09-11/08
Gary Numan @ Rock City Nottingham 10/11
Police Bastard FearFest @ The Asylum 2 Birmingham 04-06/10
Gehtika @ Metal 2 The Masses Final Birmingham 14/07

Best Midlands Venue: Rock City Nottingham
Best Live Midlands Band: Dakesis
Best Midlands Festival: Bloodstock Open Air

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Tosh Davies
Orchid + Scorpion Child + Blues Pills + Zodiac @ Dingwalls London 03/11
Clutch @ Rock City Nottingham 09/07
Skindred @ Hard Rock Hell Pwllelli, North Wales 29/11
Freefall @ Download Festival Castle Donington 14/06
Dunderbeist @ Graspop Metal Meeting Belgium 29/06

Best Midlands Venue: Rock City Nottingham
Best Live Midlands Band: Knock Out Kaine
Best Midlands Festival: Bloodstock Festival

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Will Harris 
Baroness @ Slade Rooms Wolverhampton 19/10
Mark Lanegan @ The Institute Birmingham 02/11
Soundgarden @ O2 Academy Birmingham 14/09
Kvelertak @ Download Festival Castle Donington 15/06
Alice In Chains @ O2 Academy Leeds 10/11

Best Midlands Venue: The Robin 2, Bilston
Best Live Midlands Band:  The Dutch Rudders
Best Midlands Festival: Download

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Like your recorded stuff too? Then check out our team’s Best of 2013 – Albums & EPs right here.